Darjeeling unrest: BJP asks West Bengal govt to shun use of force, says crisis can be resolved via dialogue

New Delhi: The BJP on Thursday asked the West Bengal government to shun use of force in the tense Darjeeling, saying the crisis there could not be resolved through bullet.

Representational image. PTI

Union minister SS Ahluwalia, who represents the hilly region in the Lok Sabha, also sought a "high-level" probe into the alleged police firing in Darjeeling in which three protesters were killed, calling it "unpardonable".

Addressing a press conference in which he was accompanied by members of the Gorkhaland Movement Coordination Committee (GMCC), Ahluwalia also expressed hope that peace will be restored there before 15 August.

"The crisis in Darjeeling cannot be resolved through bullet. Repressive measures and brutalities of police are not the solution," he said, making an appeal to the state's Trinamool Congress government and the GMCC for bringing peace and ending violence.

This 50-day long crisis can only be resolved through political dialogue and for that peace was needed to be restored in the town, he said, requesting GMCC members to end their fast and call off their strike.

"Gorkhas are known for their honesty and loyalty for the country. They never hesitate in sacrificing their life for the nation. So I would also request them to call off their fast and end the strike," Ahluwalia said.

As the member of Parliament of Darjeeling, he will submit a memorandum on behalf of the GMCC to the prime minister and the home minister.